Sprinkles of Confetti
by dirtydeedsdonedirtcheap
Summary: Cedric and Cho go on their first date.


**Disclaimer:** **Anything you recognize belongs to J.K Rowling.**

 **Sprinkles of Confetti**

Their relationship started with a question.

At the time Cedric Diggory did not really _know_ Cho Chang. They might have went to the same school together but he had never given the girl with the almond shaped eyes and the slightly lopsided smile a second thought during his years at Hogwarts. It was after Harry Potter's name had burst out of the goblet of fire that Cedric needed someone, anyone to comfort him, to agree that it was unfair Harry would get to compete when he was the one of age, when his name had been called first.

Once his jealousy and annoyance subsided, fear began to creep into his mind and he found himself, days before his first task, roaming the halls of Hogwarts as if in a trance, waiting for someone, anyone to talk to him and to simply tell him that he was going to be _alright_.

Fortunate for him he bumped into Cho. A small smile appeared on his lips as he recalled the memory of their first encounter. He hadn't noticed her as he was walking down the corridor but she had noticed him and had swiftly fallen into step with him. At first he thought she was going to be an annoying leech, a giggling girl that would marvel at the fact that he was going to compete with Harry Potter in the Triwizard Tournament.

Instead she introduced herself and wished him good luck.

Cedric quickened his pace. He was already five minutes late. The sun was shining down on him. He was starting to sweat, more from nerves than anything. It was a cool day but the glare from the sun made it hard for him to see where he was going. What made it worse was the fact that he was daydreaming of Cho when he was supposed to be looking for her.

After she had wished him good luck she tucked a piece of her dark hair behind her ear and then shyly said her goodbyes, as quickly as she had came, ready to slink off into the shadows. Cedric had wanted to beg her to stay because he need the companionship.

Instead, he nervously asked her, " _"Will you…will you cheer for me?"_

" _Of course."_

That had been the beginning of their relationship. There hadn't been a Hogsmeade trip the two could attend shortly after. Cho had schoolwork, Cedric had the tournament and was going to be swept up in it for the rest of the year.

He wanted to show her how much he liked her, how much that was exactly, he didn't know. Love was a foreign concept. He had never said the word to anyone outside his family. He wasn't sure you could love someone before a first date but he knew, for his age, he cared for her and sometimes caring meant just as much too.

They had never had an actual date before. There were stolen glances between the two during meals. There were thoughts of the other during lessons. There had been short walks outside and inside the castle, a nervous holding of hands, and a question.

" _Would you like to go on a date with me?"_

" _Yes_. _"_

Cedric swept a nervous hand through his dark hair and hopped along the road. He used his free hand to shield his grey eyes from the sun and paused as he targeted a short Asian girl who was tapping her foot and staring at the ground. Seeing her made his heart pound in his chest at a faster rate than normal and his mouth go dry.

Cedric Diggory, 6th year Hufflepuff, Captain of the Hufflepuff Quidditch team could defeat a dragon but when it came to girls he got weak in the knees.

He walked towards her, a bright smile on his face, revealing all of his sparkling white teeth and awkwardly stretched out his hand to greet her.

She arched her eyebrow, a blush creeping up on her pale cheeks and shook it gently. He wondered if he was clutching her hand too hard and if she was disgusted by how clammy he felt.

"Where are you taking me?" she asked with a lopsided grin.

Cedric swallowed. He was trying to register what she was saying but all he could do was stare at her lips, the curve of her mouth and the shouting in his head that said to _kiss_ her. He tried to push the thought to the back of his mind and shook his head. He hadn't gone as far as to _plan_ anything. Wasn't that the girls' job to do?

Didn't she know she could lead and he would follow?

He looked past her, trying to figure out the best shop to choose. A grim expression appeared on his face as he shielded his eyes from the sun again. He noticed couples holding hands and girls holding large smiling stuffed bears that held hearts that read, 'Be mine,' and red roses tucked behind their ears.

It was Valentine's Day and he had forgotten all about it. He had forgotten to bring her flowers or to write her an awkward poem revealing his feelings for her.

"Madam Puddifoot's," he murmured. He could see the sign of the shop from where he was standing but couldn't see inside the shop. There was a long line of couples that were holding hands or wrapped around each other. It _looked_ like a good idea to him.

Cho giggled and gave him an incredulous look. "I don't think you'll like that place," she said, giggling louder.

He rolled his eyes and started to steer her towards the shop. The shop appeared to look _pinker_ as they got closer.

Cedric wasn't a very bright Hufflepuff. He was loyal, trusting, and a bit dim. He felt himself blush as he peered through the window to see inside. The line that had been there moments ago seemed to disappear and there were two empty tables, one that called out for him and Cho but he wasn't entirely sure he wanted to answer it.

Everything was _pink_. The seats were close together and the white tables were shaped as hearts, which he figured would make it hard for them to enjoy a meal.

Couples Cedric never imagined were inside. His stomach turned at the sight of Marcus Flint staring mesmerized into the dark eyes of a Slytherin girl Cedric could not remember the name of.

He would not like that place at _all_ but a quick glance at Cho made him bite back what he wanted to say. There was no way he was going to go in there. Cho stood at the door, her round face blissfully happy and unaware of Cedric's inner turmoil.

He swallowed and took one nervous step towards her. _Really_ , he could defeat a dragon but when faced with a world the color of pink he got weak in the knees.

It seemed pretty girls weren't his only downfall.

The bell tinkled as Cedric held the door open, waiting for Cho to walk inside. He was met with an overwhelming smell of roses and shuddered, stepping swiftly out of the way as a cupid shot an arrow at him.

He glowered as he followed Cho towards a table by a window and took his seat, feeling an ache in his back forming already. The seats and the tables were obviously for show because they were so uncomfortable and smaller than average it was like they _wanted_ you to sit on top of each other.

The outside was a different world to them, forgotten, as they shifted their eyes away from each other due to nerves and sipped their lukewarm tea.

When she was looking down, he took a moment to stare at her. To admire the way her eyelashes fluttered when she blinked and the slight freckles on her nose that you wouldn't notice from far away.

Confetti, a shimmer of red, pink and gold was thrown above their heads. Specks of it covered Cedric and swam in his tea as Cho glittered before him.

"Are you nervous?" she asked, placing her hand down on the table and tapping her fingers.

It was a question that everyone seemed to ask him lately. Are you nervous? Do you think you will win? Are you afraid of getting hurt in the next task? Are you up for the challenge?

"I've never been more nervous in my entire life," he said truthfully, taking a sip of his tea even though it was tainted with confetti.

She shook her head and bit her bottom lip, groaning slightly. "I probably shouldn't have asked that," she said hurriedly. "I'm sorry."

He wasn't nervous about the tournament or the second task. Cedric could have done five hundred tasks if they asked him. _Cho_ made him nervous.

"You make me nervous," he admitted quietly, not blinking as more pieces of confetti fell on his head. He wrinkled his nose, pieces glided down his face and clumped into his tea.

"I…" She didn't know what to say but she didn't have to say anything.

Her hand rested out on the table and she wrinkled her nose, eyes watching him intently.

"Happy Valentine's Day Cedric," she whispered, smiling lightly.

He smiled and leaned forward in his chair, snaking his large hand towards her small one, gripping it tightly. Maybe Madam Puddifoot's wasn't so bad after all.

"Happy Valentine's Day, Cho."

Their first date was not filled with much conversation. It was filled with comfortable silences and gazes across a too small table for a too tall young man. It did not matter that he fumbled over his words when he tried to talk to her or the fact that he levitated a single red rose from another girls bouquet to present her with at the end of the night.

What did matter was when he bent down and pecked her lips gently, their faces flushed as they pulled apart from each other.

It was their first date and in Cedric's opinion it was the best first date he could have asked for.


End file.
